The Cries Have Reached Heaven

As of late, I have been praying for God to burden me with His will.  To reveal to me His heart.  To burden my spirit with what He wants me to pray, to direct me as to how to intercede in prayer.  And what has kept ringing in my mind over the last several days is, "The cries against this land have reached heaven."  So, I began to search scripture and I found several things the Bible speaks of that cry out to heaven. 

1.  The Sin of Willful Murder:  "Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' 'I don't know,' he replied. 'Am I my brother's keeper?' The Lord said, 'What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.'" (Gen 4:9,10)

Willful murder encompasses abortion, and it is a sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance.  The Didache states, "Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not practice pederasty; do not fornicate; do not steal; do not deal in magic; do not practice sorcery; do not kill a fetus by abortion, or commit infanticide (Didache 2:2).  From 1970 to 2013 the number of abortions in the US that have been reported to the CDC is almost 52 million.  That's 52,000,000 babies that have been willfully murdered in this land in the last 40 years.  The blood of 52,000,000 babies cries out to God from the ground of the US.

2.  The Sin of Oppression, Extortion, Greed and Exploitation:  "Now listen you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one who was not opposing you." (James 5:1-6)

American enterprise is built on exploited labor.  Migrant farm workers are the backbone of America's agricultural powerhouse.  Migrant labor forms the bedrock under our indulgence.  And we condemn these men and women who pour out their lives in cheap labor so we can keep prices within our means to gluttonously consume.  We are a haughty bunch, who expect to be paid top dollar for our own labor, but we don't want the price of living to go up.  So we hire those who will take less for their labor, then condemn them for being here.  And then passionately defend our case for condemning them.  This may not seem like a big deal to many, but scripture says that the cries of the exploited reach His ears.  And that's a big deal.

3.  The Sin of Sodom:  "Then the Lord said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will know.'" (Gen 18:20,21).

The sin of Sodom was immorality, sexual perversion, rejection of heavenly authority, blasphemy, arrogance, gluttony, apathy which comes through the ease of prosperity, neglect of the poor and needy, abominable behavior, haughtiness and pride (Jude 7,8; Ezekiel 16:49,50).  That pretty much sums up our prideful nation that idolizes comfort, pleasure, sex and food and focuses more on self than others. 

A woman flushed her baby down the toilet the other day in a McDonald's bathroom.  Some Florida teenagers watched a handicapped person drown as he cried out for them to save him.  All they did was watch and laugh.  We have gay pride parades that celebrate that which God has declared unholy.  We not only openly celebrate it in our streets, but we take our children to observe these celebrations.  We fornicate with absolutely no shame, encouraging safe and responsible sex outside of marriage, like this is some sort of commendable effort.  A magazine published an article for teenagers, explaining how to "properly" engage in anal sex. We are the number one exporter of pornography.  A movie is coming out called "Mother" which horrendously blasphemes the holy Triune God of Creation.  It is a movie which is Antichrist through and through, a monstrous and gruesome affront towards, and rejection of, heavenly authority. 

We are creatures of instinct, we carouse and indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight, we have hearts trained in greed, we have eyes full of adultery, we tempt the weak and our desire for sin is never satisfied, we have left the straight way and wandered off, chasing the wages of wickedness (2 Peter 2:12-15).  

We are lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful and selfish, unholy, without love of Godly things, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, duplicitous and deceitful, impulsive, conceited lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Tim 3:1-4). 

Now is the time of repentance for America, but despite God's attempt at getting our attention "none of them repent of their wickedness, saying, 'What have I done?' Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed season, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord." (Jer 8:6,7)

I don't know what the days ahead hold for our country, but I do know that it is not good.  Even if we repent, God must cleanse this land because it has been thoroughly defiled with sin.  I am well aware that many will scoff at what I write here and turn a blind eye.  I am well aware that many will not even take the time to read it, and I grieve.  After seeking God in heartfelt, humble prayer-- seeking His presence, seeking His guidance, seeking His leading-- this is the word He has burdened upon me by His Spirit:

"Even now," declares the Lord,

"return to me with all your heart,

with fasting and weeping and mourning.

Rend your heart and not your garments.

Return to the Lord your God,

for He is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and abounding in love,

and He relents from sending calamity.

Who knows? He may turn and relent

and leave behind a blessing--

grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord you God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion,

declare a holy fast,

call a sacred assembly.

Gather the people,

consecrate the assembly,

bring together the elders,

gather the children,

those nursing at the breast.

Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,

weep between the portico and the altar.

Let them say, 'Spare your people, Lord.

Do not make Your inheritance an object of scorn,

a byword among the nations.

Why should they say among the peoples, "Where is their God?"'" (Joel 2:12-17)